March 4, 1993: Jim Valvano speaks at Madison Square Garden. He wasn't talking to a basketball team he was coaching, to try to get them to win a game. This game was much more important.
James Thomas Anthony Valvano was born on March 10, 1946 in Corona, Queens, New York City, and grew up in nearby Seaford, Long Island. A high school star in baseball and football, he stuck with his best sport, basketball, and went to Rutgers University in New Jersey. In a backcourt with All-American Bob Lloyd, RU finished 3rd in the 1967 National Invitation Tournament.
Years later, when fans at Duke University -- often derided by fans of neighboring schools as "The University of New Jersey at Durham" -- developed their reputation for nastiness, Jimmy V said he didn't mind them, "'Cause they're all from Jersey, like me." I guess he forgot his Lawn Giland roots, although North Jersey and Long Island, on opposite sides of the City, do have a lot in common.
Despite the NBA being in place, and the American Basketball Association starting in 1967, no professional team drafted him. So he went into coaching, hired as the freshman coach at Rutgers. In 1969, he was named the head coach at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. After 1 season there, he spent 2 as an assistant at Connecticut.
In 1972, he was named head coach at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. In 1975, he was hired at Iona University in New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York. In 1977, he became Iona's athletic director as well. In 1979 and 1980, he got Iona into the NCAA Tournament.
That got the attention of North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, and they hired him as head coach in 1980. After a rough 1st season, he got them into the NCAA Tournament in 1982. In 1983, he guided them to a regular-season record of 17-10, then won the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, then got them into the NCAA Final Four in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
They beat Georgia in the Semifinal, and faced the University of Houston in the Final. The heavily-favored Cougars were led by Akeem "The Dream" Olajuwon (who began spelling his name "Hakeem" when he turned pro) and Clyde "The Glide" Drexler. They dunked so often, they were given a nickname suggesting a college fraternity: "Phi Slama Jama."
But N.C. State played a strong defense, and, on the last play, what looked like a desperation shot by Derek Whittenberg was snatched out of the air, and dunked, by Lorenzo Charles, giving the Wolfpack a stunning 54-52 upset victory. The CBS cameras showed Valvano running all over the court. When interviewed, he said he was looking for someone to hug. (For British soccer fans, it was similar to Bob Stokoe running around after guiding Sunderland to the 1973 FA Cup.)
With his bubbly personality, and his background as an Italian New Yorker, Valvano was often compared to older coaches Lou Carnesecca of St. John's and Rollie Massimino (who, unlike Valvano, actually was from North Jersey) of Villanova. Certainly, he was a contrast to the quiet but authoritative Dean Smith at the nearby University of North Carolina, and the stoic Mike Krzyzewski of nearby Duke.
After missing the Tournament in 1984, but getting N.C. State into the Elite Eight in 1985 and 1986, Valvano was named the school's athletic director. He got them into the Tournament again in 1987, and was rumored to be on the short list to be the next coach of his hometown New York Knicks. Instead, that job went to another Italian New Yorker, who had just gotten Providence College into the Final Four: Rick Pitino.
After a Sweet Sixteen finish in 1989, Valvano was only 43, nearly universally-admired, and coaching a big school in perhaps the best basketball league in the country. It seemed like the only thing that could pry him away from this charmed life was a bigger offer, one he would find irresistible. Maybe he was waiting for Pitino to fail with the Knicks. (He didn't: After winning 52 games in his 2nd season, it was Pitino who got an offer he couldn't refuse, to rebuild the legendary but troubled program at Kentucky.)
But in 1989, Peter Golenbock, author of several sports books, published Personal Fouls, alleging misdeeds by Valvano and his program. An investigation by the NCAA cleared him, but cited rule violations by his players that he could have prevented, or at least stopped. A report showed that Valvano had "violated the spirit, not the letter, of the law." The school was put on probation, and in 1990, Valvano resigned his posts.
Dave Didion, the NCAA investigator handling Valvano's case, wrote a personal letter to Valvano, saying, among other things, "If I had a son, I would feel comfortable with you as his coach and encourage him to learn from you." And yet, the next year, Valvano wrote an autobiography, titled Valvano: They Gave Me a Lifetime Contract, and Then They Declared Me Dead.
He was signed by ESPN as a basketball announcer. Special segments were taped with another Italian coach-turned-ESPN hoops guy, Dick Vitale, and the duo became known as "The Killer Vees." (Vitale was from East Rutherford, New Jersey, and is easily the most famous person actually from the town that is home to the Meadowlands Sports Complex.) Like Vitale, and another guy from the New York Tri-State Area, Rockaway native Al McGuire, the question became whether he would stay in broadcasting (as those two did) or get another coaching offer.
Instead, in 1992, he was diagnosed with cancer. On February 21, 1993, he spoke at a 10th Anniversary reunion of the 1983 N.C. State National Champions. On March 4, ESPN hosted the 1st ESPY Awards at Madison Square Garden. Valvano was awarded the 1st Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award, in memory of the tennis legend and civil rights activist who had recently died of the effects of AIDS.
In his acceptance speech, he announced the creation of The V Foundation for Cancer Research, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for cancer. He announced that the foundation's motto would be "Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up."
The teleprompter stated that he had 30 seconds left, to which he said, "That screen up there is flashing 30 seconds. Like I care about that screen right now, huh? I got tumors all over my body, and I'm worried about some guy in the back going, '30 seconds'?"
He closed by saying, "Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever. I thank you, and God bless you all." He received a standing ovation.
Seeing this, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, knowing that Valvano was a Yankee fan, invited him to throw out the ceremonial first ball for Opening Day, April 12. But the cancer spread further, and he called Steinbrenner, and told him he couldn't do it. He suggested a replacement: Smith, who had just led North Carolina to the National Championship. George called Dean, who was happy to step in, and he threw a strike in honor of his friend Jimmy V.
Jim Valvano died on April 28, 1993, at the age of 47 -- with some irony, at Duke University Medical Center, in Raleigh. He was survived by his wife Pam and their 3 daughters.
In 2018, North Carolina State University's William Neal Reynolds Coliseum was renamed James T. Valvano Arena at William Neal Reynolds Coliseum. But Jimmy V has not yet been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. (UPDATE: He was elected in 2023.)
The V Foundation has donated over $300 million to cancer research. Starting in 1995, ESPN has broadcast an annual season-opening basketball tournament, the Jimmy V Classic. It was held at the Meadowlands, then moved to Madison Square Garden in 2003, held there every year except 2020, when, due to COVID restrictions, it was held at the Indiana Pacers' arena in Indianapolis.
Jim Valvano made some mistakes in his coaching career, but with that 1983 N.C. State upset and the final act of his life, he did a whole lot more good.
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March 4, 1993 was a Thursday. Bobbi Kristina Brown was born to Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown.
Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. There were 7 games in the NBA:
* The New York Knicks beat the Utah Jazz, 125-111 at Madison Square Garden.
* The New Jersey Nets beat the Orlando Magic, 116-97 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands. Derrick Coleman scored 34 points.
* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Washington Bullets, 117-98 at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.
* The Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks, 13-111 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Reggie Miller scored 34 points.
* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 103-95 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
* The Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 103-88 at the McNichols Arena in Denver.
* And the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Charlotte Hornets, 138-112 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.
There were 5 games in the NHL:
* The Boston Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3 at the Boston Garden.
* The Chicago Blackhawks and the Quebec Nordiques played to a tie, 3-3 at the Chicago Stadium.
* The St. Louis Blues beat the Calgary Flames, 2-1 at the St. Louis Arena.
* The Winnipeg Jets beat the Edmonton Oilers, 5-3 at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton.
* And the Los Angeles Kings beat the Ottawa Senators, 8-6 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.
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